After losing all hope in the real world, Takato Matsuki left for the Digital World. But after meeting six of the Odaiba digidestined, he discovers that his world may not be what he thought it was. But where does he truly belong?

Level 1: Worlds
In 2003, the darkness was contained when Malomyotismon
was defeated.
In 2003, the real world was fully exposed to the Digital World.
In 2003, the world's population attained the status of "digi-destined."
In 2003, each person on Earth became partners with a Digimon.

Stage One- Ending

Takato Matsuki was not meant for this world. That
much was clear. After all he had been through, there was nothing left to convince
him that he, who had lost everything else, could find happiness again. There
was no place left for him. There was no one left for him. After everything was
taken away, all that remained was an empty void, and a fifteen-year-old soul to
call it the future.

He didn't want that as his future. Takato would be better off without one at
all. He knew the danger he'd be facing. He had heard the warnings and demands
of the higher authority. He knew very well that he wouldn't come back. He also
knew that he may not even arrive in the first place. He understood that he may
not even be happier when he arrived.

It was still worth the risk. Anything was better than where he was at now. He'd
prefer the face of death that he was staring into over the remnants of life he
currently possessed.

----January, 20X5----
All he could see was smoke. An haze of black, all but absorbing the orange
blaze from the fire below. He had heard the instructions. He knew how to stay
low. He knew how to feel the door. It was safe, so he opened it. Takato, along
with the masses of smoke, forced himself onto the terrace.

It was only a slight improvement, but it was an improvement nonetheless. He was
at least able to breathe again, although the thick smoke still made it
difficult. He looked down below. The streets, usually quiet at this hour, were
bustling with the sound of ambulances blaring their sirens, the sight of
concerned neighbors watching and praying in their pajamas, and the mist of
water trying to extinguish the flame. A
ladder was forced onto the side of the building. Immediately, a firefighter was
climbing it, scaling the tower to rescue a child in distress. The brave soul
helped Takato down the ladder, to the waiting arms of more rescue workers. A
stretcher to lie down in, a mask to give him air, and a pillow to rest his head
on. He desperately needed them, and Takato was not denied. Takato was safe,
destined to live another day regardless of what else was lost. Takato's mind didn't stray on what was lost, but he
couldn't get the thought of who was lost out of his head. His parents
were nowhere to be found.

Before he could find them, he
was loaded into an ambulance and carted off towards the hospital. He kept
asking, and he kept receiving the same answer- "I don't know." By the
time the next afternoon arrived, it was all Takato could think about. He was
only in the hospital for that day, but it happened to the longest day in his
life.

"Takato?" Henry
peered through the doorway. Rika and Jeri were at his side.

"Come on in." Takato
was able to put his fears aside for a moment and smile, inviting his friends
in.

"Where should I put these
things?" Rika had flowers, and she was visibly uncomfortable holding them.
She set them on a nearby table, most likely reserved for such sentiments.

"Where's Kazu and Kenta?"

"Cram school. They were
going to skip, but we didn't want them failing again."

"Either way, it's nice to
see that you're doing well." Jeri leaned over and kissed Takato on the
cheek. He couldn't help but force a smile at the kind gesture.

Henry, noting the smile,
decided to start interrogating him about the incident. "So do you have any
idea what happened?"

"I don't know. They
haven't really finished investigating or anything but their guess is that one
of our breadmakers started it. Maybe it wasn't shut
off right or something. I don't know."

"Well, as long as you're
safe. That's all that matters." Jeri reassured Takato.

More than his friends, Jeri's
presence really made Takato feel a lot better. They had been together ever
since the D-Reaper was destroyed, almost four months ago. As far as Takato
knew, the months could have been years, or even decades, and he would still be
just as happy with Jeri by his side.

A doctor entered the room,
interrupting the moment. He coughed, signaling Takato's
attention. "Mr. Matsuki?" He seemed somewhat fidgety.
He obviously wasn't bearing good news. "Can I speak to you in private for a
moment?"

"Um… sure." Takato's
affirmation was all his visitors needed to know when to leave.

"We'll wait outside." Rika said
quietly.

Henry simply nodded. He had a
premonition that what the doctor was going to say wasn't pleasant. Henry and
Jeri immediately looked at each other. They knew what was coming. They had been
through it before.

Once they were in the hall,
Takato took a breath, and asked the question. "How are they?"

The doctor also took a deep
breath. "We tried. We really did. But by the time we found them… it was too
late to save them."

Takato grew wide-eyed. This
couldn't be happening. It had to be some dream. "You… you mean…"

"We've notified your aunt.
She'll be coming by later to check on you." The doctor was sympathetic, but
Takato gave no indication that he was hearing anything. "Obviously, this is
very hard for you to deal with. We offer grief counseling in order to help you
through this difficult time…" Takato wasn't responding to anything, just
staring blankly at the wall. Tears were beginning to form. Finally, the doctor
gave up. "Maybe your friends are better suited for this than I am. Should I
send them in?" Takato didn't respond, so the doctor did so anyway, stepping out
at the same time.

"Are you okay Takato?" Henry
was the first to ask. Jeri was already running up and embracing Takato, crying
all the while. Rika was unsuccessfully trying to control a few tears. Henry
maintained his composure, but he obviously felt it as well.

"I don't know Henry. I mean…
Mom… Dad…" Takato was still at a loss. He held Jeri. He needed Jeri. But at the
moment, not even Jeri was enough.

"Look, you're going to get
through this eventually." It was Rika's turn to talk. "It just takes a while.
And we're all here for you, too. We were all here for Henry and we're going to
get you through this too."

Henry put a hand on Rika's
shoulder, as if to accentuate the point. "That's right. No matter what happens,
we'll get through it together."--------

Yet here today, they were nowhere in sight. Nobody to pick him up when he was
down.

The boat sped through the East China Sea en route to its
destination. The view was spectacular. No pesky clouds were obstructing the
azure sky, while the sea stretched out endlessly towards the horizon. Takato
didn't care. He had seen it all before. Okinawa was a
great place to visit, but living there… it wasn't right for him.

----January, 20X5----Takato's parents were dead, but he was alive and
still willing to tame life. But a fourteen-year-old can't make a jump into
reality immediately. He still needed to be supported. He still needed a family.
His friends were there for him, but he couldn't live with them. He couldn't
intrude and make himself a Wong or a Shioda or a
Kitagawa. It wasn't right of him to ask a family to take on such a burden, and
none of his friends' families were willing to extend a hand. Worse yet, his own
family wasn't all that helpful either. His aunt had succeeded in the task of
filling out paperwork for the hospital, but that was about all she was willing
to do. She didn't have the income to support Takato. In fact, every single one
of Takato's relatives in the Tokyo area was unable to
support an extra family member at the time- his grandparents were in a nursing
home, his uncle's apartment was infinitesimally small and only suitable for one
person, while his other aunt was expecting a baby, and couldn't handle getting
two extra mouths to feed at the same time (ironically enough, she ended up
having twins). After spending a fortnight crashing wherever he could, he
finally found somebody that could take him in.

"Hey, Takato, you handling okay?"

Takato turned towards the
source of the voice. "Yeah Kai… just peachy." He returned to his previous
position- leaning on the railing of the boat, looking at the Okinawan sunset. It was almost as if somebody was teasing
him. The view was stunning. The setting sun reflected against the clouds to create
a stunning palette of color. The wind, however, was a different matter
entirely; as the gusts frequently slammed into Takato's
face while creating waves to guide him on a very unsteady ride towards his new
home. The atmosphere created two conflicting moods, and Takato was unsure which
one was accurate.

He'd have to give it his all. He'd have to try to adjust to this new life on
the distant island. But he felt stranded. He was nine hundred miles away from Tokyo.
Nine hundred miles from his friends and everything he had grown to be familiar
and comfortable with. Nine hundred miles away from Jeri.

They promised each other they'd make it work somehow. Distance was not a
concern for e-mails or telephone service. Communication would not be a problem.
It was the little things he'd miss. Seeing her smile everyday, reassuring him
that good things were ahead. The smile he sorely needed was out of reach, and
the good things seemed even farther away.

"Takato? You don't have anything to worry about, okay? We're going to take care
of you here." Kai was trying to give Takato some solace. No matter how much Kai
tried, it wasn't his greatest skill. He was too laid-back for serious sympathy,
and was in no position to offer a quick-fix to his cousin's trauma. He continued
to persist, however, "We already did all the paperwork for school. You're
transferred in with no problem, and we get back in a week."

Takato didn't acknowledge the
statement. How was he supposed to concentrate on school with all this going on?
Nine hundred miles…

"You know Minami Uehara's also going to the same school now. I'm sure you
two will get reacquainted real fast." Takato shook his head. He and Kai met
Minami under some… unusual circumstances some time prior. It was somewhat
comforting knowing that he would have friends at his new destination. He was
sailing towards a new life. That was all he knew. Maybe it was just that- "new"
instead of "worse."--------

"When is the next available flight to Tokyo?"

Takato knew exactly what he was
doing. He had dealt with airports forever. There were flights from Okinawa
to Tokyo and vice versa several
times over the course of the day. He took them whenever he could afford it. At
the very least, he had to visit Jeri once a year. That much was a prerequisite,
and it did not matter how much money he or the Urazoe
household had to spend- he needed at least that.

"The next flight is fully
booked, but a flight departing at 4:35
this afternoon does have a seat or two available."

"I'll take a one-way ticket."

The receptionist was somewhat
unsure about this fifteen year old buying a one-way ticket, but continued to
look up the needed information. "Including processing fees, that will cost
thirty-six thousand yen."

Takato silently pulled the
money out of his wallet and on the counter. The cost didn't matter this time
either. Takato continued to remain silent as he waited for the ticket to be
processed. This was going to be his last time doing this. He didn't know what
was going to happen when he arrived, but in all likelihood it was going to be
better than the last time he had made the trip.

----November, 20X5----Mr. Katou picked up the telephone. "Hello?"

"Um… hi… is Jeri home?"

Mr. Katou
sighed. "Who should I say is calling? If this is Takato, you better not be
calling collect again."

"No! No… tell her it's Terry. I
go to school with her."

Jeri's father called his
daughter over to the phone. She wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of the
call was, but was cheerful nonetheless. "Hi Terry!"

Terry stumbled for a moment.
"Hi Jeri, this is Terry. Um… I was wondering if you wanted to… um…" Terry
paused, summoned his courage, and continued. "The fall festival is coming up
and I was wondering if I could go with you." He took a moment to catch his
breath. That wasn't so bad, but the hard part was around the corner.

Jeri frowned. "Well… you mean
like a date?"

Terry nodded, until he realized
that Jeri couldn't see that. "Um… yeah."

"Well… you see… I already have
a boyfriend."

Terry exhaled. It was a good
thing he did his homework. "Yeah. I know. Henry told me. But, I mean, he lives
in Okinawa. That's nine hundred miles away. Down there,
they don't even consider themselves part of Japan.
And I mean… well it seems unfair that you don't have a date for the festival."
Terry paused. "Sorry. I've never done this before. I'm a little new at this."

Jeri couldn't help but smile.
"You should get advice from your father."

Terry sighed. "Actually… my
father died when I was little."

Jeri bit her lip. "Oh. I'm
sorry. I guess I know how it feels though. I lost my mother when I was little."

The ensuing uncomfortable
silence was inevitable as both reflected on their pasts. Finally, Terry broke
the silence with a snicker. "Why are we talking about this?" Jeri chuckled
quietly. "So how about it? I'm sure it'll be fun."

Jeri paused. He seemed
innocent. He was nice, he was friendly. She didn't want to get his hopes up,
but it definitely seemed a good chance to make another friend. That… and she
definitely didn't want to reject him; it was clearly what he was fearing most.

"Sure."

Terry smiled. He was confident
he could handle everything from there.

"Great! I'll pick you up at
seven!"--------

Takato was almost getting used to it. He had almost grown accustomed to the Okinawa
life. It was strange, but in the company of Kai and Minami, he was able to get
through it. By the time he made the trip back home in January, he was confident
that he was going to be able to get through whatever.

He remembered his thoughts on
the plane at the time. He was both somber and optimistic. His sadness stemmed
from the one year anniversary of the deaths of his parents. Fortunately,
although he was still adjusting, he was able to visit their grave bearing a
sunny forecast. At least he was trying, and at least he still could return to West
Shinjuku at any time to find friends… and Jeri.

"This is the captain speaking-
we are experiencing slight turbulence. Please keep your seatbelts fastened.
This should clear up in a few minutes, so please be patient."

The pilot's voice over the
intercom jolted Takato out of his recollection.

"They always say the turbulence
is temporary." He thought. "And just when you think you're in the clear,
something else shows up to make the flight a living hell."

He knew that from last time.
The storm he flew into was unexpected and unforeseen. This time, however, the
flight would be different. Unlike his last visit, he was going to be in
control.

----January, 20X6----"Takato!"

As always, he was dying to see
her. As always, she was waiting for him at the airport. And as always, she
couldn't keep her arms off him when he exited the plane.

"Hi, Jeri. Man, have I missed
you." Takato fell silent as the two enjoyed their embrace for a few more
seconds while Jeri's father quietly picked up Takato's
carry-on.

"Takato. I'll go pick up your
luggage while you two…" Mr. Katou trailed off. As
much as he wanted to, he could find nothing wrong with the relationship between
his daughter and Takato. The natural anxiety regarding Jeri growing up and
finding love was still present, however, and he sought to distance himself from
any personal moments.

Takato handed his ticket over,
while still enjoying the moment. "I'm trying Jeri… I know I can get used to
this one of these days… I just…"

"Shh…"
Jeri put a finger to Takato's lips. "Not now." Takato
obeyed. He had so much he wanted to say, but he too wanted to enjoy the moment.

"Ahh…
winter… I missed you!" Takato was freezing and loving it. The chilly winds
would have rendered anyone else uncomfortable, but Takato was enjoying it.
"Jeri, you have no idea how freaky it was last February." The tropical climate
of Okinawa, even in winter months, was the first thing
Takato had to get used to. Although the weather was far from his biggest
problem, he was happy to be in a spot where he could freeze his butt off every
January like people were supposed to. "Has it snowed yet?"

Jeri wrapped her scarf tighter
around her neck and smiled. "It snowed last week, but not enough to stay on the
ground."

"Shame… I'd kill to make a snow
angel right about now." Takato was just trying to enjoy the familiarity of Shinjuku
Park. "Look at this place- it
hasn't changed a bit."

"Jeri!!"

Takato looked towards the
source of the voice. It was the first unfamiliar thing that presented itself.
Takato walked over to Jeri to get a better look at who was calling her- a boy
about their age was running towards them. The kid's messy brown hair and
smiling face seemed nothing out of the ordinary. It was just unfamiliar… a
problem Takato wanted to fix immediately.

"New friend?" Takato asked,
curious.

Jeri was not eager to greet the
boy. She tried to hide her concern from Takato, mumbling "You might say that."

As the boy arrived, Jeri forced
a smile. "Hi Terry. What brings you here?"

"I was just heading off to work
and saw you there." Terry replied, the friendly smile still on his face.

"Wait… you work?" At least
Takato thought the kid was the same age as himself and Jeri.

"Yeah. I help out with a ramen
cart. It's a long story. You must be Takato." Terry extended a hand.

Takato received the handshake.
"Yeah. Jeri must have told you about me. She didn't say anything to me about
you though."

Terry let out a slight chuckle.
"Why am I not surprised? Name's Terry."

Takato smiled. "Nice to meet
you. So are you just friends with Jeri or have you met the whole group?"

Jeri was sheepish, and was
obviously anxious about something. Still, she answered the innocent question.
"Neo-Ryo?"

"Neo-Ryo! That's it. I don't
get it myself, but it's kinda funny."

"Ryo was a Tamer like the rest
of us. He took off a couple years ago." Takato provided the explanation. "I
think he went back to the Digital World." He added.

"Yeah… I knew it was something
like that… I don't know. I'm not into that whole Digimon thing." Terry stopped
smiling for a second, and looked down at his watch. "Shoot, I have to get
going. Look, I'll talk to you later. See ya."

Before Takato knew what hit
him, Terry was gone.

"Seems like a nice guy. I hope
I can get to know him better." Takato looked back at Jeri. She was still nervous,
almost on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?"

Jeri found a nearby bench to
sit down at. Takato sat next to her, awaiting her answer. Nothing was coming
out, so Takato was forced to lead her on. "Does it have something to do with
Terry?"

Jeri nodded.

Takato gulped. All signs
pointed to one thing. "Something tells me he's more than just a new friend."

Again Jeri nodded, but was able
to explain further. "He asked me out a couple months ago. He's a nice kid, I
didn't have the heart to say no. And… well… he likes me."

"How do you know?"

Jeri sniffled back a tear.
"Because he told me last Christmas."

"Oh." While he was obviously
concerned about the matter, Takato was happy in a way- for a year Jeri was the
one that always been there to help Takato through his problems. Now, he was
finally going to be able to help her through her difficult situation. He took
her hand. "Jeri, you know you can't string him along like that. The longer you
wait, the more it will hurt him."

"That's not the half of it. He
thinks I like him too."

"Why does he think that?"

Jeri couldn't hold back her
tears any longer. "Because that's what I told him."

"Jeri… why? I know you don't
want to hurt his feelings, but if you don't, he's going to keep thinking that
he has a chance. I mean, you don't really like him, do you?" Takato wasn't
letting any of this bother him. Terry just happened to have good taste in the
girls he liked. This kind of thing was bound to happen, and he was determined
to get Jeri through this without losing his cool.

"That's just it Takato… I kinda
do."

All of the color in Takato's face fell at that moment. Their relationship would
never be the same. --------

It seemed so out of the blue.
It seemed like it was something unforeseen. The idea that Jeri could possible fall
in love with another boy wasn't completely impossible, but for some reason
Takato thought it was. He was too optimistic. He had Jeri, Jeri had him, and
all was right with the world.

Unfortunately, the world didn't
work like that. Despite the situation, and despite their history, there was
nothing preventing anybody from stealing Jeri away.

Perhaps it was only a warning
instead of a serious threat. Jeri never said one way or another- she said that
she had to get to know Terry a little better, and determine who she really was
in love with. She needed time, and that was the only certainty Takato had when
he left later in the month. Needless to say, he was a nervous wreck for the
rest of the semester.

As a result, his schoolwork
suffered greatly. Adapting to high school, especially high school in Okinawa,
was difficult enough for Takato. But after days spent trying to receive solace
from Kai and Minami, weeks spent lying awake at night worrying that she'd
choose Terry, and months spent talking to Henry in an attempt to get some
information on what she was thinking (and with no real news to speak of)…
school just didn't matter anymore.

Until he failed his freshman
year.

"Shinjuku Park, please." His
parents were dead, he lived nine hundred miles away from familiarity, his love
life was in limbo, and he couldn't even survive his first year of high school.
The future wasn't bright. In fact, odds were that he didn't have a future at
all in this world.

Never was suicide on his mind.
He wasn't one for that. He wasn't meant for this world… but another world may
be willing to accept him. He reached into his bag of personal items. It was one
of the few possessions that survived the fire. Takato clutched it as he neared
his final destination. Hopefully his D-Power still had the power to take him
there.

----October, 20X4----"…and please exhale." Henry followed the doctor's instructions while he was
examined with a stethoscope. "Good. That should be all." Henry put his shirt
back on and joined Takato, Kazu, and Kenta as they exited the examination room to join the
girls.

It was about a month after
D-Reaper was destroyed, and while it wasn't out of their minds, it didn't
dominate their thoughts.

Kenta
wasn't complaining. He was merely confused. "I understand why they need to
check up on you and Henry, but why me and Kazu? We
never bio-merged."

"I know… and why the drug
testing?" Kazu asked. "Felt like a total invasion of
my privacy."

"I don't know. Probably just a
precautionary measure." Henry replied, as they joined Rika, Jeri, and Suzy.
They didn't get much of a chance to talk with one another, as three others
entered the room.

"Yamaki…
what brings you here?" Takato asked.

Yamaki,
flanked as always by Riley and Tally, was grim. "Please have a seat." They were
in a lounge area, so finding a seat presented no problem to the seven Tamers.
"I'm sorry about the examinations. We felt it was necessary to make periodic
check-ups on your physical and mental health after everything that happened."

"But those were all physical
tests."

"Yes. The mental part is next
week. A counselor will be talking to each one of you privately, getting your
thoughts on the matter and such. We've arranged it so she can meet with you
periodically if necessary. Yamaki flashed a glance at
Jeri. His last comment was particularly directed at her. "Are there any
questions before I give you the news?"

"Where's Ryo? How'd he get out
of all this?" Kazu had his question asked before
either Suzy, Henry, or Takato could get their hands up.

Yamaki
sighed, and looked back at Riley before turning to Kazu.
"We have reason to believe that Ryo has disappeared again into the Digital
World… against our wishes. We can't confirm this, and even if we could, we have
no way of getting him back. I honestly can't say for certain whether or not any
of us will ever see him again."

Henry put his hand down. That
was a bombshell in itself. Unfortunately, Suzy was still determined to have her
query fielded. "Will we ever see Terriermon or Lopmon again?"

Her lisp made it all the more
cute, and all the more heartbreaking for Riley and Tally to witness. Both
looked aside, hoping that Yamaki could handle the
question in a dignified manner.

However, Yamaki
exhaled once, then made it plain and simple. "No."

Every Tamer in the room was in
shock. Was that it? Being separated from their Digimon was bad enough, but to
be told that they would never be seen again?

"Yeesh…
sugar-coat it a little bit." Tally mumbled to Riley, who responded with a nod
of agreement.

Before the Tamers could begin
their barrage of questions, Yamaki began his
explanation. "Unfortunately, the Digital World and the Real World have both
been affected severely by the incident. Both can repair themselves, but it
takes time. The best way, and the safest way, to do that is to restrict the
ties between the worlds as much as possible. Restoring the Real World to its
form before D-Reaper will be much easier without the presence of Digimon, and
restoring the Digital World will be easier without the presence of carbon-based
life forms."

Having concluded that point, Yamaki added another argument for good measure. "Even if it
was safe… or even possible… to send you to the Digital World again, we
exhausted too much of our resources to bring you children back last time. We
can't afford to do it a second time. Do you understand?"

None of the seven responded.
Deep down, they all understood, but it was still an emotional moment- knowing
that it was the end. They would have to carry on without their digital
companions, a barrier separating their two worlds eternally.

"Takato? I saw your hand up.
Did you have a question?"

Takato looked up at Yamaki. After staring at him for a second, Takato retracted
his eyes back towards the ground. "Never mind."

It was only yesterday that he
had discovered that the gate to the Digital World was still open. He was going
to tell everybody the exciting news. Now… it was useless information. His
promise to Guilmon wasn't going to be kept after all.
--------

His life in this world was
over. The words "can't" and "shouldn't" held no meaning. There were so many
uncertainties, and one life had already been lost in the process. But there was
always a chance.

"Right here, sir." The taxi
pulled up to the stop, and Takato paid him handsomely after retrieving his
bags. As the cab drove off, Takato took a look around the park. Nobody was
around. Perfect. He began the climb.

A rush of nostalgia filled him
as he entered Guilmon's old "house." It was all so
familiar, even though he hadn't been there in over a year. The gate was locked,
but Takato climbed over it with relatively little trouble. He fell a little on
the descent, but little more than skinned his knee.

He headed into the shed and
proceeded towards the back. The hole was
still there. Takato looked around. There were no friends accompanying him on
the journey this time. He looked down into the hole. There was no white rabbit
named Calumon to chase this time. It was just Alice
and her need to find something different. Takato slipped down, praying that the
gateway would still be open.

It was as shimmering as ever.

Takato couldn't help but smile.
His land of opportunity. He was going to live in a land where nothing was
guaranteed. Death was avoidable. Taxes weren't monetary and were only as taxing
as his soul would allow. He took a deep breath and entered the portal.

Nothing happened.

"The heck?"

The gate looked exactly the same
as it did when Takato and his fellow Tamers entered before. Takato slumped to
his knees, set his duffel bag on his lap and pulled out his D-Power. At least
that still worked. It appeared to be reacting to the portal, but nothing seemed
to be working.

"No…" He shook his head. It was
so hard to believe. Was the dream of entering the Digital World just that- a
dream? An impossible fantasy residing only in a child's head?

He was about ready to give up.
He was ready to turn around and hail another taxi. Maybe he could talk to Henry
or something. He took another look at the D-Power. "What am I supposed to do?"
Frustrated, he held the D-Power towards the gate. "Digi-Port
Open?" What the heck, it worked in the cartoon.

Without warning, he felt a
force pulling him. It was different than before, but something was definitely
happening. Takato grabbed his duffel bag, hoping that he could hang on to it.
Ten seconds later, he was gone, flying through the mess of wires and data
streams, heading towards the Digital World.

He braced himself for the thud
that he knew was coming. It came, but at least it was on a soft grass surface.
He picked himself up and did a status check- everything on his person was in
one piece, he had his bag with him, and his D-Power was still residing in the
palm of his right hand. He looked around. It was a forested area, greener than
any park he had ever been to. He was most definitely not in Shinjuku
Park.

Takato smiled, set his bag
down, and rested his head on it. There were a million things he had to do.
Finding Guilmon was of utmost priority. For now,
however, leaning back and taking in the unpolluted air was enough. He wanted to
take a minute to forget about everything that had happened, and to forget about
the things he left. He would probably never see Jeri Katou
again. A major sacrifice perhaps, but a necessary one in the end. Perhaps she'd
be happier with Terry anyway. She'd definitely prefer not having to deal with
Takato and Terry fighting over her. Terry could have her. What Takato had could
make up for it in the long run.

A rustling in the bushes
startled Takato for a brief moment, until a small, green creature with leaves
sticking out of its head popped in and stared at Takato. Takato held up his
D-Power, which recognized the creature as a Tanemon
without missing a beat.

Tanemon
skipped away harmlessly. Takato didn't disturb it. He was too busy realizing
what its presence meant. It was official.

Takato had found his new home.

To Be Continued in "Stage
Two- Missing"

Author's NotesDespite the way this starts out, this is not an angst fic.
This is actually going to be the one… er rather… the
three, that tie all of the seasons together. Subtle hints have already begun to
take shape, and the less I explain, the better the experience will be.

Unlike previous fics, the lengths of each chapter
will probably fluctuate a lot. Some will be longer, some will be shorter, and
some will be right in the middle. Also unlike previous fics,
I'm keeping the Author's Notes to a bare minimum... meaning no more Next
Chapter previews. Please leave any questions in an e-mail or review and I
promise I'll answer them via e-mail.

The rating of this will probably end up as an R later on. There will be strong
language, violence, and adult themes… I just don't know to what extent I'm
going to take them.

A lot of thanks go out to Rb and Crest of Empathy for
beta-reading this guy. Also, major props go out to Chris McFeely
and the timelines for both the Adventure and Tamers series he has up on his
site, which have become an indispensable tool for writing this (it's nice to be
able to look at something I'm messing around with). Also thanks to Andy Taft,
the guy that showed me Chris McFeely's site… even if
it was just to brag about a page he contributed to.

This ends Level 1: Stage One of The Connection.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.